Impose means: Chiefly followed by on or upon.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up. For most families this word will pass by without incident; it is more a vocabulary curiosity than a parenting concern.
impose
(intransitive) Chiefly followed by on or upon.
Seen in the wild
8 citations · last seen May 2026
Seen in the wild
BlueskyMay 2026
Selon Yannick Bru, une figure s’impose clairement comme symbole et moteur de l’UBB
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BlueskyMay 2026
"Commencer par les plus jeunes" : Le gouvernement chinois impose un enseignement en chinois et un endoctrinement idéologique aux enfants de maternelle dans le but de forcer les Tibétains à s’assimiler. Nouveau rappor…
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BlueskyMay 2026
Movements that claim moral authority must be willing to hold themselves to the same standards they impose on others. Without that accountability, “fighting inequality” risks becoming an industry one that concentrates…
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BlueskyMay 2026
[obligatory 'assuming this is genuine' caveat]: Apart from everything else, this seems like an extraordinarily counterproductive sanction to impose, if you want to tone down the rhetoric against moderators.
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BlueskyMay 2026
Franziska Koch s'impose en tête de la Vuelta Féminine 2026 lors d'une étape décisive en Galice https://sixactualites.fr/actualites/franziska-koch-simpose-en-tete-de-la-vuelta-feminine-2026-lors-dune-etape-decisive-en…
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Definitions
UK
#1·Apr 27, 2026UK
(intransitive) Chiefly followed by on or upon.
Origin: {| class="floatright" | | |} The is derived from Late , borrowed from , and , enposer (modern ), from im-, em- (variants of en-) + poser, modelled after: * , from im- (variant of in-) + pōnō (ultimately from , *h₂epó + *tḱey-); and * , the of impōnō: see above. The is derived from the verb. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents
Impose means: Chiefly followed by on or upon.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up. For most families this word will pass by without incident; it is more a vocabulary curiosity than a parenting concern.
For ESL learners
impose means: Chiefly followed by on or upon.. Register: neutral, standard English. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself. A formal-English equivalent (a synonym or descriptive phrase) is usually safer in writing. When in doubt, paraphrase rather than reuse the slang form.
Heard in the wild
“Movements that claim moral authority must be willing to hold themselves to the same standards they impose on others. Without that accountability, “fighting inequality” risks becoming an industry one that concentrates wealth at the top while preaching fairness to everyone else.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“[obligatory 'assuming this is genuine' caveat]: Apart from everything else, this seems like an extraordinarily counterproductive sanction to impose, if you want to tone down the rhetoric against moderators.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Franziska Koch s'impose en tête de la Vuelta Féminine 2026 lors d'une étape décisive en Galice https://sixactualites.fr/actualites/franziska-koch-simpose-en-tete-de-la-vuelta-feminine-2026-lors-dune-etape-decisive-en-galice/113415/”
— Bluesky· May 2026“The editorial "we": Grothmann, and the voices in his head. His statement is, of course, a lie. But, being a member of the GOP, the voters and supporters of which impose no electoral or reputational penalty for lying, he can do that with impunity.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“This guy is NOT a doctor. He doesn’t understand the science nor do the voters trying to impose this on others for whatever reason.”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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UK
#2·Apr 27, 2026UK
(obsolete) An act of placing or putting on something chiefly immaterial, especially something regarded as burdensome as a duty, a task, etc.; an imposition.
Cluster: drugs
Heard in the wild
“Selon Yannick Bru, une figure s’impose clairement comme symbole et moteur de l’UBB”
— Bluesky· May 2026“"Commencer par les plus jeunes" : Le gouvernement chinois impose un enseignement en chinois et un endoctrinement idéologique aux enfants de maternelle dans le but de forcer les Tibétains à s’assimiler. Nouveau rapport ⤵️ hrw.org/fr/news/2026...”
— Bluesky· May 2026“he's a joker, a market manipulator with enough money to impose himself onto companies and a cult-like following thanks to the GME squeeze, as well as a track record of being bad at running businesses.”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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UK
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🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
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Other words near "impose" (I)
Impertimpetrationimpignorateimpignorationimpimpiimported cabbage wormimposementimpositionimpresstaurantimprestableimprisonimprobation
Browse all slang words starting with I.